German Chancellor Angela Merkel couldn’t contain herself at a press conference in which US President Donald Trump claimed he would visit Germany soon and cited his German heritage, sparking mirth and outrage on Twitter.
The hashtag #TrumpNotWelcome began trending soon after Trump promised (threatened?) to visit Germany “soon,” during a press conference at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France on Monday. The ever-watchful Twitterati couldn’t help but appreciate the hilarity of a normally stoic head of state breaking character and letting out an audible laugh at her brash US counterpart.
“We’ll be there… we’re very honored by the invitation — and that’s true — and we will be there. Maybe soon,” Trump said, to a clear snort from Merkel.
Trump: I have German in my blood
Merkel: Snort loudly. ???Watch
She literally had to stop herself from bursting out loud laughing pic.twitter.com/GNnrcGU7YO
— Tahar (@laseptiemewilay) August 27, 2019
“Given the amount of self-control (which she usually presents) her lol’ing about something like that was probably well placed,” wrote one user, with a sentiment echoed by many others online, the majority of whom signed off with the hashtag ‘#TrumpNotWelcome.’
.@realDonaldTrump: "I have German in my blood."
Merkel: ???#G7Biarritz #G7France #Trump #TrumpMerkel #Merkel pic.twitter.com/2U4jMJq57a— t-online.de (@tonline_news) August 26, 2019
Once she had composed herself again, Merkel replied that she had invited the US president “many times.” During the presser, Trump called her a “brilliant woman” and described their meeting as “very productive.”
Can't stop watching Angelas reaction! ??? pic.twitter.com/uIa6JFa7HC
— YviMiez ???♀️ (@YviMiez) August 26, 2019
Hashtag of the day #trumpnotwelcome pic.twitter.com/lyBznI8uyx
— Lisa Leveler (@LisaLeveler) August 26, 2019
Trump has yet to make a bilateral diplomatic visit to Germany, appearing only at larger events such as the G20 summit held in Hamburg in 2017. The German heritage to which the US president was referring was likely Trump’s grandfather, Friedrich, who was reportedly born in Germany and later emigrated to the US.